L'Taken Student Lobbies to End to Violence Against Women
Questioning the Essence of the B’nai Mitzvah
by Kathy Schwartz At a recent breakfast with the chair of the senior rabbi search committee, Congregation Har HaShem’s B’nai Mitzvah Revolution Core Team had the opportunity to speak about what kind of rabbi we were seeking. Our requirements: the rabbi should be willing to embrace change; be willing to partner with us in continuing our exploration of imagining what b’nai mitzvah can be; and must understand that at Har HaShem, professionals and lay leaders do things together. BMR is our joint project.
The Moral Call to Pass the Healthy Families Act
Two Jewish Films You Shouldn't Miss: “Ida” and “Félix and Meira”
Two new award-winning foreign language films examine identity, faith, and family through the lens of improbable relationships that lead to fateful choices.
The Right to Wear a Kippah in Israel
I don’t remember the first time I skimmed my skull with a bobby pin and pushed a circle of knitted white cloth and strands of hair into its metal clasp.
Discovering Israel Beyond Its Borders
Growing up in rural Massachusetts, Judaism held a much different context in my life than it does now. Until college, I did Judaism, mimicking the motions of being a "good Jew." I didn't combine milk and meat in my house because my father told me not to.
The Right to Wear a Kippah in Israel: Why I’m on the ARZA Slate
Making Synagogue a Place to Run To, Not From
The events of my son’s bar mitzvah day don't begin to tell the story of how Max arrived at that moment.
A River Runs Through It
This past summer, my son spent seven theatrical weeks at Northwestern University's National High School Institute in Chicago. Our family arrived only to attend Aiden's final performance, but we got to see a bit of "Chi-town" along the way.